Yesterday I wrote about the public frustration with their inability to effect change on development around the Basin. The Park Rag received a comment from Park City City Council person Steve Joyce speaking to how the city was letting the public speak with their pocketbook on the Treasure project. After reading his comment I thought, “that really is the fairest thing the city could do.” It seems reasonable.

I awoke this morning with another thought. Why not do the same thing with the parcel of land in New Park (Steve may have been trying to tell us something). Why couldn’t Summit County put a bond on November Ballot to buy the amphitheater area at New Park and the land where the Condos would sit. As Steve said about Treasure, no affordable housing, no land sweeps, nothing complicated. The Summit County bond would be purely for buying the New Park land and turning it into open space.

What would that cost? Let’s say it was $4 million. What would that cost a primary home owner per year? $20 or $30? Maybe less. It would also require the Snyderville Basin Open Space Advisory Committee (BOSAC) to buy an option to purchase the land (just like Treasure). That may be $200K to $300K, which would be lost if the voters didn’t approve it.

Would the county want to go through the effort? They purchased a large open space parcel next to Home Depot, in what appears to be planning for a future that may or may not come (but was probably a wise choice). They spent over $3 million on the Cline Dahle Parcel with the idea of someday putting a transit oriented development on the property and a park and ride lot. So, why not invest in something people use today?

Better yet, why not let the people decide if they want to invest in something they use today.

It would be a win for the Crandall’s, as they won’t have any risk of any blowback from this development (and get money without having to develop anything). It would be a win for the local business in New Park, as it cements a public gathering place that makes the area attractive. It’s a win for the county, because they are giving the people a direct place in the decision making process.

Who ultimately knows how it goes… but it seems like the most logical choice to decide the fate of something that appears important to the public.